Chapter Three Summary and Analysis

Gerald describes the abundance of life he finds in a nearby myrtle thicket. He describes the mantis with its front legs lifted in a "hypocritical prayer," and of one that almost caught a swallowtail butterfly but managed only to tear off a section of wing, which it ate. He notes that the flat centipedes are fast and that they are "creepy." He describes the tarantula spiders and says he seldom gets near enough to watch one. On a particular day he finds one so absorbed in something that Gerald gets very near. The spider then drops to the ground and runs unerringly to a lark's nest. Before Gerald can act, the spider bits the single hatched baby bird and when it is dead, carries it away.

After an afternoon thunderstorm, Gerald stops by the myrtle grove to look for...